Through Windows into a Future
by LemonyZest
Summary: Tsuna and his guardians have grown up, they've made mistakes along the way. They all knew being part of the mafia wouldn't be easy, but they always knew they would all be there for each other. They were both right and wrong. Windows into the future of the tenth generation of the Vongola Famiglia. ON HIATUS
1. Tsuna 21 Years Later

21 Years Later

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At 35, Tsuna's life is simultaneously everything and nothing he expected. It is also both everything and nothing that he wanted for himself. He happily married Kyoko, the love of his life, and has officially been the boss of the Vongola Famiglia for well over a decade. He's done things he's not proud, but regrets very little. Tsuna has become a man very different from the boy he was over 20 years ago when Reborn first appeared in his home. Tsuna loves his famiglia, his wife, his children. He is happy, but things are far from perfect. Tsuna lives in a much darker world than he might have liked to. He's made sacrifices and lost people that can never be replaced. It's strange to look at his life and consider how much he's changed.

"Tsuna? Is something wrong?" Kyoko poked her head into his study. She was still as beautiful as ever. Carmel-colored hair pulled delicately into a low bun on her side, the rest of the long tresses flowing over her shoulder and large eyes that he'd seen tears in more than he liked to admit.

"Not at all. Why would you think that?" He answered, pushing out his chair and walking towards the door. Kyoko met him halfway, as she so often did, and he wrapped his arms around her waist lovingly.

"You looked so pensive. I was worried something serious may have happened." She told him, resting her head against his chest and listening to her husband's heartbeat. It might as well have been the sound of her own for how much her life depended on it.

"Everything is fine." Tsuna ran his fingers through her hair as he held her close. They so seldom got to indulge in something as simple as each other's company. Tsuna pulled away momentarily to press a kiss against her forehead, "Everything is fine. I was just thinking."

"What about?" Kyoko closed her eyes, letting herself melt against him as the two swayed back and forth slowly.

Tsuna smiled against the top of her head, "Just how far we've come." Kyoko allows herself to ponder over that for a minute before she decides not to press for more. She knows how rare and fragile peaceful moments like these are, knows that they are far too precious to squander over an idle curiosity. So she doesn't ask. She doesn't push. She simply permits herself to indulge in the way strong arms feel around her waist and the joy she knows she brings to the man she loves. Things are not perfect, but this tiny moment in space and time is about as close as she ever seems to get. It is enough.

"Papa, come play!" A voice like chimes shatters the quiet of Tsuna's study and as he pulls away to attend the girl behind her, Kyoko feels the hateful coiling in her stomach. She knows it's wrong. She has no good reason, no justifiable excuse for the awful feelings that rage inside her when Tsuna treats the girl as he would treat any child: with a strong and unbearably kind hand. The brunette child runs headlong into his arms as he kneels, fully ready to catch her; the smooth motion is followed as he spins her around and lifts her high into the air. "Higher! Higher!"

Tsuna laughs and the sound still makes flowers bloom in Kyoko's chest, even after so long. "I think you're getting too big, Principessa," he chides. He lowers her back down and ruffles her chocolatey waves. The girl wears a long skirt and a frilly (far too frilly in Tsuna's opinion) blouse and is dressed like any high class italian girl ought to be. Her hair is pulled clumsily into two braids, as she had just recently started doing them herself. She gave him a melodramatic pout before snatching his hand and leading him out of the study.

"Tsu and I want you to play with us! And don't say you're busy cause if you've got time to cuddle Mama than you can't be too busy to play with us!" The logic of children is something Tsuna is not sure he'll ever comprehend. His daughter had always had a knack for getting her way, though he thinks it may have something to do with being spoiled rotten by the wealthiest mafia family in the world. Not to mention all the unsavory habits she picked up during her far from average childhood. She knew how to break a man before she knew how to ride a bike. Despite her unusual upbringing there are times that Tsuna sees her acting just as any other girl her age would. Some things, he realizes, are universal.

When they get outside Tsuna is momentarily blinded by the bright sun, and he brings his arm up to shield his eyes. "Papa! Play!" His son runs to him, clinging to his leg, a smile that could give the sun a run for it's money on his face. Tsunahara is nearly identical to Tsuna himself, the only noticeable difference is that he has the carmel colored hair of his mother. The resemblance is not only skin deep, either. Tsu is only 5 now, but the way he is from his mannerisms to his overall personality is a perfect match to the way Tsuna was as a child. He is meek, but bright. Not especially gifted, but can be hard-working when he wants to be. The list goes on, but everything about him is in stark contrast to his sister. Nagisa was gifted from the day she was born. She was smarter, more resilient, more beautiful, and far more daring than any other child Tsuna had ever seen. She consistently outshone her peers by a landslide. She was his absolute pride and joy. Not to say he didn't adore Tsu, despite all of Kyoko's thinly veiled accusations of such, because he did. He loved the boy desperately. He had never particularly wanted another child after Nagisa had been born, but Kyoko had keenly wanted a baby of her own. Ultimately Tsuna didn't feel he had the right to deny her her wish. So Tsu was born.

He picked the boy up and flung him over his shoulder, "And what exactly are we going to play?" he prompted. Tsu squealed and giggled madly from his place as Nagisa rested her chin on her fist.

"Tag!" she declared and Tsuna rolled his eyes. When was it ever not tag? He put Tsu back on the ground and turned away, giving his children a fighting chance to escape into the sprawling estate of the Vongola mansion. They were just outside of the labyrinthine gardens and he knew Nagisa would take full advantage while Tsu was liable to become hopelessly lost and start bawling if he was not found quickly. He counted to 20 before turning and noisily looking for them in the obvious places. Kyoko appeared by the door, snacks and drinks in hand. He held up a finger to his lips and she giggled. She took a seat with the tray in one of the many pavilions that dotted the property, content to wait for the game to run it's course.

Tsuna set about actually finding his son first. He never actually lost track of the boy, but understood well enough that it was part of the game for him to act like he did. As usual, he took his time as he leisurely made his way through the gardens, "There you are! Better run fast or I'll catch you!" Tsu startled and ran off in the opposite direction, Tsuna jogging easily up to the boy and snatching him up, twirling him around several times and blowing raspberries on the child's stomach. He screamed and laughed and flailed happily and Tsuna tucked him under his arm as he went to find his daughter. "Where do you think Nagi's hiding, hm?" Tsu snickered under his arm. Nagisa was very good at hiding. She'd started training for the mafia when she was practically still in diapers, and she had little care for the fact that assassin skills weren't meant to be used in games. Not that Tsuna minded, if anything it almost made the game an actual challenge. Almost.

Eventually Tsuna plucked her up and threw her over his shoulder, spinning around with each of his children as they laughed. Tsuna started making his way back toward where Kyoko was waiting only to freeze in his steps when he saw Hayato standing off to the side, expression stoic. He let his children down and told them, "Run along to your mother, I've got to talk to Uncle Hayato for a bit." Nagisa smiled but the knowing look in her eyes betrayed her worry even as she did as she was told, pulling her brother along behind her. Kyoko stood, smiling, but the worry was in her eyes, too. Her poker face was infinitely better than Nagisa's though. Tsuna walked over to greet his right-hand man.

Kyoko couldn't hear much of the conversation, but she knew that was for the best. She hated knowing more than she hated not knowing. So long as Tsuna came home at the end of the day she would be content to ignore the ugliness of their reality. She could ignore the scars that slowly covered his body, and she could cope with the nightmares that woke him at night.

"Moroni's guys shot up one of our stations out in Manarola," Hayato informed him, bypassing his usual formalities.

"Shit. What for?" Tsuna wondered aloud.

Hayato didn't hesitate to answer, "Xanxus. He killed Domani Moroni, the boss' second son. They might be going for payback, but if so I don't know why they'd hit such an inconsequential spot. Could be they're aiming at provoking us into a fight, God knows why, or they're trying to scout for future attacks, maybe see how much they can get away with before we put them in their place."

Tsuna let out a heavy sigh, "Why the hell would he do that?" The Moroni Famiglia was old, but not particularly formidable. They were very rooted in tradition and loyalty. Though they didn't have a formal alliance with the Vongola, it was still strange for them to suddenly attack one of their outposts, especially such a remote one that most people wouldn't have known about.

Hayato gave a noncommittal shrug, "The hell should I know? Guy's a psycho if you ask me."

Tsuna chuckled darkly, "Psycho or not, he's Vongola." Hayato scoffed, but didn't try to dispute the point. Vongola meant family after all. "Tell Xanxus to clean up his own messes. The varia can handle it however he sees fit. Minimal casualties, though. We don't need another massacre to clean up." Hayato raised a brow in question. Tsuna usually went for a strict 'no casualties' rule. Tsuna nodded, reaffirming his orders and Hayato excused himself to call the crazy bastard and tell him what the boss said. Tsuna moved to rejoin his family in the shade. Kyoko stood when he approached, wary of any news that would bring Hayato to their home in person and unannounced, but Tsuna dismissed her worry with a wave of his hand. He took a seat at her side and pulled his son into his lap. The boy squirmed for a bit, adjusting himself in the new seat, and then happily continued munching on the crackers and fruit slices Kyoko had prepared for them.

"What did you and Uncle have to talk about?" She thought she was being subtle, but her eyes were a dead give away. She was a worrywart like her father, though, so perhaps it couldn't be helped.

"Nothing of consequence, sweetheart." She pouted at him, recognizing the dismissive behavior. Tsuna smiled and took one of her braids in his hand, thumbing the messed braids as he spoke, "Don't worry. It was nothing so important that you should let it dampen your day." She grinned at him and let the matter slip from her mind. He wondered when false platitudes would stop being enough for his too-bright child.

Hayato came over a minute later, "I should get going now. Sorry to interrupt." He bowed deeply.

Tsuna shook his head and laughed, "You weren't interrupting. Why don't you join us?" This had the effect Tsuna knew it would. Hayato hastily opened his mouth in an attempt to respectfully decline only for Nagisa to beat him to the punch.

"Oh, pretty please say you'll stay Uncle! Say you will! Pretty please stay! Just for a little while," she said excitedly. The proclaimed right-hand-man's shoulders drooped in defeat almost immediately. There was no way for him to say no to the Vongola's beloved principessa.

It takes less than a minute for Nagisa to climb into his lap once he's resigned himself to keeping the Decimo's family company in the humid afternoon air. She chatters happily in his ear and the sight brings a smile to Tsuna's lips. He knows Nagisa adores that man and vice versa. A part of him wonders if it isn't natural, for Hayato to love the child of two of the people he loves most in the world and for Nagisa to love the man her mother loves. He banishes the thought from his mind. Thoughts about Nagisa's origin and in turn her place in the mafia world should that truth come to light have been consistently more and more frequent in his mind. Looking back he thinks they may have all been naive to think that they could say the girl was Kyoko's and be done with it. Perhaps Kyoko herself had been too optimistic when she believed that she would be able to love Tsuna's daughter as her own. Maybe Hayato has a sweet spot for the principessa because he knows what it's like to be the bastard of a mafia boss. Tsuna can only pray that that pain is something he can keep his daughter from for a while longer; he's no longer naive enough to think the secret will be kept forever. It'll be a scandal, but hopefully it will have been worth it if only for small moments like this when they can masquerade as the perfect family. There are too many storm brewing, too much for Tsuna to lose, the stakes too high for slip-ups. He'd talk to Xanxus himself later. Just to be sure the Varia leader understood, and he might want to look into why Xanxus would start the skirmish so recklessly in the first place. But that was for later. For now he had to soak up this little window of happiness he had with his family. It was such a fragile thing.

* * *

Author's Notes: Ok so first off I have been wanting to do a future fic for KHR for forever! I have a lot of things planned, some characters may or may not be dead, and this is going to be more or less told completely out of order. This chapter takes place in the middle of the story, before maybe the second main plot point. Also how do you all like Tsuna's kids? Nagisa was named after Nagi in case that wasn't obvious and Tsu was clearly named for his father. I'll get into specifics with them and all the other eleventh generation Vongola kids later on. What do you think? This won't get in the way of my other fic, especially because writing for this goes much faster due to it all being original content and also because I don't see this taking off the way BFF&I did, so I'll be updating the more poplar story more probably.

Anyway feel free to comment and check out my other fic!


	2. Takeshi 15 Years Later

15 Years Later

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Yamamoto Takeshi has been in the mafia for just over half his life, and he can't remember the Before with any level of clarity. It's all a blur of childhood and adolescence and a promising future in baseball that all went down the drain the day he climbed onto the school roof. He might as well have jumped because that's when that part of his life, that boy he used to be, died. That was where the Before ended and the After began. He doesn't regret a thing. So he tells himself.

Him, Tsuna, and Ryohei are all loitering at the scene of a multiple homicide. One of their own making this time, and Takeshi doesn't know if that makes it better or worse. There are corpses casually left lying out and he can smell them. He hears Tsuna cursing his tie from the bathroom where he went to pull himself together before heading home to Kyoko. He sighs and plasters on a smile, and surprisingly he doesn't even have to force it, despite their gruesome surroundings. After all this time he's still genuinely entertained by Tsuna's helplessness in the mundane and is always more than happy to help. He knows Tsuna doesn't want to look like he just murdered a handful of people when he gets home. Kyoko and him are trying for another baby and blood stains paired with the smell of rotting flesh doesn't exactly set the mood. A part of him wants to scream because he thinks Kyoko's being awful and selfish and a thousand other things that he'll never say out loud, least of all to Tsuna. He knows Tsuna doesn't want another kid, Nagisa is the center of his whole world, but he also knows Tsuna will do almost anything to make Kyoko happy. He thinks it's a mistake. Not that he's eager to share that opinion because it won't change a thing. He thinks the timing couldn't be much worse either. They're on the brink of a full-blown gang war and could tip over the edge at the slightest provocation. Tsuna's doing everything in his power to keep the peace, but Takeshi can feel the violence on the horizon. He doesn't know when or why, but war is coming.

"Need some help?" He nudges the door and it swings open the rest of the way with a creak.

"Yes." Takeshi laughs at the sight of the terrifying and powerful Vongola Decimo standing in front of a broken mirror, teary-eyed and with one hand tangled in his tie. It's just so very like Dame-Tsuna. He walks over and disentangles Tsuna's hand from its silky bindings and does his best to retie the damn thing properly. It's a lost cause.

"Oi! Some help in here, please!" he calls. A moment later Ryohei is squeezing himself into the dilapidated little bathroom, too.

"What's up?"

"I don't know how to do this," he says, nodding to the tie he'd still holding around Tsuna's neck. The smile hasn't faded.

"Oh, that? Its EXTREMELY simple!" he yells, and Tsuna and Takeshi both cover their ears. It's been so many years and Ryohei still hasn't managed to get the hang of his 'inside voice'. Takeshi moves as far out of the way as he can in the limited space so that Ryohei can take care of it, which translates to taking two steps back and letting the older man shuffle past him to reach Tsuna. A minute later Ryohei had somehow tied his entire arm to Tsuna's neck and Takeshi was laughing madly from the sidelines. Three grown men were packed like sardines into the too-small bathroom of an abandoned warehouse trying and failing desperately to tie a goddamned tie. Tsuna's snickering joined in and soon after that Ryohei's bellowing laughter as well. Takeshi used his blade to slice the thing off and the three agreed that ties were overrated anyway.

There was a cleanup crew on their way to the scene, Ryohei having called them prior to the whole tie fiasco, so the three went to wait outside in the open air. Takeshi, only after wiping the blood and grime from his blade, turned his cellphone back on. He could hear Ryohei talking boisterously to Hana behind him, the sound of a child crying could be heard on the other end of the line.

Thoughts of red hair and blue eyes came unbidden to his mind and he ached. The last time he'd seen her the two of them had a screaming match about work again. It was the reason they had split up in the first place. She didn't approve of his life in the underworld. She'd given him an ultimatum, and he'd chosen Famiglia over love. He'd chosen the Vongola over a life with the woman he loved and their child. Takeshi didn't think he knew how to live without it anymore. The last argument had been after he'd dropped off Daichi at her house and found out she was still digging into the Sartori famiglia. She was a journalist, and he understood it was within her nature to stick her nose where it didn't belong, but her safety was still of paramount importance to him. He'd warned her time and time again to be careful, often guiding her in the right direction or even being a source of intel himself if it would keep her out of harm's way (of course only things he had explicit permission to share with her or things that would do damage to the Vongola's enemies). She never listened. It was downright infuriating.

He still keenly remembers the sting he'd felt when she left him upon learning of his ties to the mafia, threatening to disappear with their unborn child. That was what? Five years ago now? He wasn't quite sure. At the time they'd been engaged, waist deep in wedding plans and setting up the baby's room. It felt like it had been forever since then. He thinks it might have been better that things fell to pieces when they did between them. He still loved her and understood that on some level she loved him, too, but things were better this way. She didn't have to compromise her morals so much, and Takeshi didn't have to keep his lips sealed when he got home, always weary of what he could and could not share. A marriage probably wouldn't have survived long between them. Daichi kept them in each other's lives, and that was enough.

His screen came to life and a second later it buzzed, registering text messages, probably all from Hayato, the worrywart he was. The man was trapped at home with Haru, taking a crash-course in how to care for newborns. After a minute the phone stopped buzzing and then dinged as a missed call appeared. His brow twitched in irritation; Hayato didn't have to go so far as to call him unless it was an emergency. He pulled up the text messages first, skimming through them. Unsurprisingly they were almost all from Hayato, asking how the job went, if Boss was alright, "dumb baseball idiot why aren't you responding", etc… He shook his head at the man's predictable antics and went to pull up the missed call.

Katina Rousseau.

Why had she called him? There was no way she'd be the first to apologize, she never was. Did something happen to Daichi? Or maybe she had to go out of town and needed him to take their son for a few days? She usually emailed about that sort of thing, though. She was ever so professional like that. He felt cold. His thumb hovered over the 'play message' button for several minutes, "Takeshi, you alright?"

He jolted, looking up to see Tsuna's face pulled into a worried frown. "You'll get wrinkles if you keep worrying about everyone else like that." Takeshi tried to give his friend, his brother in everything but blood, as natural a smile as he could. His heart felt heavy like stone.

"Maybe if the rest of you would stop giving me reasons to worry," he retorted. Takeshi laughed, but there was no mirth in it. Tsuna could feel as much as he could that something was wrong.

"Just a minute, I gotta check this." He waved Tsuna off and pressed the button, holding the phone up to his ear.

"Takeshi…" Her voice was a husky whisper, panic evident in her tone. "Takeshi, I need you. I-I was following a lead.. I fucked up. I'm so sorry. I fucked up so bad." His breathing was shallow, his heart beating too fast. "I think they found our house, I don't know. I think someone's in the house." There was a shuffling sound, like she was crawling across the floor and a clack like she hit the phone against tiles. She was in the kitchen then. That was the only room with tiles in the house. "Fuck-" another series of muffled sounding movements. "I'm so scared, _Takeshi_." She was crying. She never cried. Never, not once. Not when she found out about the mafia, not when they broke up, not when she gave birth to Daichi, not when he broke down in front of her because the world was too much. "I'm so sorry." Why was she sorry? For following the lead? For screwing up? For asking for help? She never had to be sorry for that. "Takeshi, I'm so scared. I can hear them. I think they're in the living room…" Her breath was heavy crackling over his speaker, her microphone too close to her mouth. Rookie mistake. "Oh God- there's a whole bunch of them, I-" A fumbling sound and a gasp. He couldn't hear no matter how he strained his ears. She had to have her finger over the microphone now. There were men's voices, varying in pitch and tones, but all equally unintelligible over the message. A few seconds that felt like a thousand years passed before she was whispering, even more quietly than before, more panicked, "Daichi's upstairs. Oh God, I think he's asleep." Another scuffling sound like she was moving and Takesi wanted to scream for her to _stay put_ , but he couldn't breathe and his words would be wasted yelling at a voicemail. "Please come. Takeshi, I'm so sorry, please hurry." There was a long silence, "If not for me, please, please hurry for Daichi. He needs you. Please save him." Another long pause, another series of muffled sounds indicating movement, then quietly, almost too quiet to be heard, "I love you." The line went dead.

Ryohei was still talking loudly to Hana, but he sounded distant or distorted, like Takeshi was hearing him from underwater. This wasn't real. Tsuna was standing to the side, hands in his pockets, eyes closed, waiting. He opened them and Takeshi saw the now familiar gleam that indicated he was ready for a fight. Tsuna couldn't have heard, couldn't know, but no doubt his hyper-intuition told him enough.

"Katina." It was all he had to say, the only hint Tsuna would need to understand. He didn't even wait to see realization dawn on Tsuna's face or for Ryohei to ask what was going on and hang up. Takeshi was already moving, mounting the motorbike he'd nicked from Hayato earlier and speeding off with a screech of tires.

He didn't know how old the message was. He'd turned his phone off hours ago, and the sun had set sometime after. What time was it now? How long would it take to reach them? He blazed through red lights, dodging through traffic without a care for how dangerous it was or how angry Hayato would be if he wrecked the bike. Nothing mattered. He remembered the day Daich was born, a tiny little bundle that looked just like him. How she'd cradled him in her arms and cooed to him and how Takeshi had bawled when the baby opened his eyes to reveal they were his mother's beautiful blues. He remembered the back and forth over custody and how it would work and her pestering him for information and him telling her to stay safe, be careful, don't piss off the wrong people. He cursed under his breath when a car clipped the bike, sending him skidding off the road into a ditch. He was bleeding and something hurt, but he didn't care to figure out what it was as he climbed back onto the bike to take off again. They had to be okay. They had be alive. He remembered the day they met, how she'd tried to approach Xanxus at some blacktie affair asking questions she shouldn't even know to ask. He'd swooped in to ask her to dance before Squalo ripped her to pieces and before she could get anything substantial. He'd been his usual charming self, easily slipping into the persona of an amiable japanese gentleman who was as much out of place as she was. How their relationship had been built on little white lies on both sides, dancing around the truth. How desperately he'd loved her, still did, always would.

There was smoke in the distance. It wasn't a billowing tower of smoke, just a thin, wispy thing. Something tasted metallic in his mouth. They were fine. They had to be fine. Someone honked when he cut them off and they veered into the next lane, crashing into another car, but he didn't even turn his head to see. His grip tightened on the throttle. The sky was getting lighter. Was it morning? Time was such a strange thing. His heart dropped into his stomach as he pulled up over the hill to where their home was. Where their home had been. It wasn't there now. A charred pile of rubble replaced the modest house. He didn't stop. They were fine. They were alive. He practically jumped off the bike when he reached his destination, the poor machine barrelled into a bush a moment after he'd abandoned the steering. His eyes trailed slowly over the wreckage, picking out details. A picture frame here, an action figure there. Signs of the people who lived here. He couldn't see straight. He shook his head, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. No tears. They were fine. They were alive. He realized his sleeve had a jagged, bloody gash that went almost entirely up his arm. Must be from falling off the bike. He started moving things, pushing aside debris and lifting beams. Then he saw red. She was fine. She was alive.

He didn't even register the movement it took to get him from where he'd been to her side. Long red hair splayed out on either side of her, fell over her face, in the blood under her body. His hand reached out, cupping her cheek carefully. Then the other. He pushed hair from her face with his thumbs. There was blood spotted at the edges of her lips, her eyes closed, a bullet hole in her forehead. Something choked made its way out his throat and he flinched at the sound before realizing it had come from himself. Dead. Her skin felt strange, wrong. Dead. Her face was pale, lifeless. Dead. He bent over her body and cradled her against his chest. Dead. He didn't cry.

Golden light crept out from the horizon as Tsuna and Ryohei pulled up in the sleek black car they'd driven to the warehouse. Takeshi turned his head slowly, he felt he might break apart if he wasn't careful, "Daichi." Tsuna nodded once and turned to Ryohei. Takeshi held Katina to his body. Sometime later more sleek black cars arrived. The sun was rising now, chasing the shadows from the ruin of his home.

"Takeshi," he looked at Tsuna. He was standing several feet behind where Takeshi was still knelt on the ground, hands placed protectively on a little boy's shoulders. Tsuna was holding him in place with his firm grip. Takeshi laid the corpse down as gently as he could manage before running to the boy, wrapping his arms tightly around the child's small frame. He screamed himself hoarse against his son's shoulders as Daichi weeped against his chest. He ran his hands through black hair, rubbed his back in some pitiful attempt to soothe, held him tightly. It was all he could do. Daichi cried himself to sleep in his father's arms. Takeshi could feel Tsuna hovering behind him. "He was hiding. In the cellar. Smart kid."

Takeshi doesn't respond, and Tsuna knows it's because it doesn't matter. "Sartori."

Tsuna nods even though Takeshi can't see him, "Domino Sartori we think. They're in an alliance with the Damico Famiglia as of a dew days ago." Ah. Damico. They were a fairly new family without respect for the traditions and laws that kept order within the mafia world. They'd been moving stupidly against the Vongola for almost a year, tensions rising between the two families. Tsuna had tried for peace, was still trying. The guys they'd killed last night had been part of an integral Damico outpost. It had been intended as a warning for them to back off.

"Domino's mine. I want the kill." Domino, he knew, was the eldest son of the current Sartori boss, Amerigo Sartori. Tsuna nodded again.

"He's yours."

Ryohei drives him from the scene, "The mansion?"

Takeshi shakes his head. His room at the mansion is where he's lived for years now, but he doesn't want to go there. The thought feels wrong. His grip on his son tightens. "Hayato's house." Ryohei quirks a brow but doesn't argue. By the time they pull up to the large house the sun is high in the sky and there are birds chirping when the car door opens. Takeshi gives a stunted bow to Ryohei who in turn waves him off.

"You take care of the kid and yourself. Leave the rest to us." Takeshi tries to pull a smile, but it feels fake on his lips and falls a moment later. Ryohei slaps his back, harder than he meant to, and gestures awkwardly for Takeshi to make his way inside. He goes up the few steps that lead to the front door and only has to knock once before Hayato is pulling the door open and yanking him in.

His eyes scan up and down Takeshi's form and eventually rest on his face. "You look like shit." Takeshi laughs despite himself and the sound echoes in the empty foyer. He spots Haru hovering hesitantly at the top of the steps. She's a mess. Her hair's knotted up worse than a bird's nest and there are bags under her eyes. He looks to Hayato and realizes he doesn't look much better. Most of the man's silver hair is thrown back haphazardly into a low ponytail and he looks like he's running on caffeine, which in all fairness he probably is.

"How's the baby?"

Hayato gives him a sardonic look before smacking him upside the head. "Go upstairs and take a shower. You reak. Give Haru the brat. She'll put him to bed. I'll pull out some clean clothes. Then we can see about that injury." Takeshi nods weakly, suddenly feeling the exhaustion catching up to him. His arm hurts something awful and he notes in the back of his head that he might have a few broken bones and possibly a concussion. Probably for the better he'd come to Hayato then. Haru hurries down the steps and gingerly takes Daichi from him.

"I'll give him back once you've both got some sleep. Promise." She reassures upon noticing his reluctance to unhand the boy. He tries to answer only to realize a lump has formed in his throat rendering him mute. He nods instead and tries to swallow the lump. She carries Daichi away and Takeshi silently follows Hayato to the bathroom. He feels dirty. Pathetic. Hayato's watching him carefully, waiting for him to break. He's ready to collect the pieces when he does and Takeshi's grateful for it. It's only after he's pulled on some of Hayato's clothes and had his wounds tended to that Takeshi lets his body relax a bit.

Hayato reaches out to touch his shoulder and the gesture is as intimate and as comforting as he can be. It's also all it takes for Takeshi to unravel. The tears finally come and he buries his face in the man's chest. Hayato rubs circles into his back. It makes Takeshi feel like a child but he can't bring himself to care. He falls asleep like that, safe in the arms of his Family.

* * *

Author's Notes: Okay chapter 2! Oh gosh. So fyi the '15 years later' and the '21 years later' are both for that amount of time after the end of the series. Therefore this takes place before chapter one. Hahaha, I'm so sorry. SO Takeshi and Hayato are going somewhere in this fic, but that's a long ways off being properly expanded upon I think. Also Daichi is mixed. Katina has french/italian heritage and obv Takeshi is japanese. Anywho let me know how you like this, if you think I'm doing okay, etc... I promise I'm still writing BFF&I, I'm just writing the Todoroki POV chapter and the next chronological chapter at the same time. It's going to be another Izuku chapter, then All Might, then Todoroki, maybe I'll throw another Katsuki chapter in there, too. Time will tell. Where do you want to see this story go, though? More past? More future? Which characters do you want to see?


	3. 4 Years Later

4 Years Later

Kyoya Hibari is very selective in the company he keeps, or that is to say, he is viable to bite everyone to death for annoying him by existing save for a select few. This is a fact known by the entirety of the Namimori area as well as a decent chunk of the Italian mafia by this point. That said, he doesn't seem to mind Chrome's constant presence in his life. Kyoya has begrudgingly accepted that he is part of a herd, but generally doesn't like to associate with them unless it's strictly necessary or if he gets to be violent. Chrome is the exception. Though Tsuna thinks he might be the only one that's noticed just yet. At some point it became a part of the norm for Tsuna to see the two of them together. They rarely ever seemed to be doing anything. They'd just sit. Tsuna had initially been worried, assuming Hibari was keeping her around so he could fight Mukuro. When that proved not to be the case, he was suspicious. But then it had hit him harder than one of Reborn's bullets. He liked having her around. After all, Kyoya didn't tolerate things he disliked, so alternatively it was the only thing that made sense. Kyoya enjoyed Chrome's silent company. That still left the matter of why Chrome would want to keep Namimori's Demon company though. Was she spying on him for Mukuro? Unlikely, but possible. Tsuna wouldn't put it past the pineapple head. He doubted Chrome would spy on a member of the Vongola with any sort of ill intent, though. So why?

Eventually, despite the answer being in the back of his mind, Tsuna resolved to ask. A part of him knew, as a part of him always did seem to know these things, but he had to be sure. Kyoko and Haru would be so disappointed when they found out. Both girls had been rather adamantly trying to set up Chrome with Takeshi. "Chrome-chan, do you have a minute?"

Chrome is seventeen now and easily the most beautiful girl Tsuna knows. She's still quiet in a group, still pauses when she speaks, still skittish in nature, always liable to spook and disappear. Tsuna suspects that it makes her a bit like a small animal; Kyoya's always had a soft spot for small, vulnerable animals. But Chrome wasn't vulnerable anymore. Her pauses are calculated, her silences pensive. She leaves openings in conversations for those around her to fill, effectively drawing out more than they might say otherwise. She's cunning and manipulative, Mukuro's influence to an extent, but it's in a way that is all her own. Far more subtle and unobtrusive than Mukuro's methods. Different enough for Tsuna to be sure that it is Chrome's own personality showing through and not Mukuro's. Even her frequent vanishing acts are not so much due to her inability to cope with a situation. As she turns she startles, but she is no longer so unsure of herself to shrink away from his greeting. "Boss. I didn't see you there." It's not a lie. Simply an omission. She may not have seen him, but she knew he was there, likely knew that he was there for her. She was observant enough that it nearly put her on par with his hyper-intuition.

"So?" He pressed.

"For you?" She smiled and it was charming like a snake, "I'll always have two."

He smiles and the two fall into stride with each other out of habit. He used to think Chrome was his only sane friend. Eventually he realized she was as mad as the rest, just in a less obvious way. "I noticed you've been spending a lot of time with Hibari." She tenses, but it's so momentary, so fleeting, that anyone else may have missed it.

"Not especially."

"You've been spending a lot of time with him for a while now. I was just curious." She inclines her head, inviting him to continue, "I was just curious as to why." She smiles and it's more sincere this time, a playful upturn at the edges of her lips.

"I wonder," she muses, as though she'd never thought of the question.

"Does he make you happy?" The flush that brightens her cheeks is answer enough.

The two walk in a comfortable silence for a minute before she squeaks out a small, "yes." He nods, understanding. Him and Kyoko have been together for a little over two years now and it's easy enough for him to recognize the sort of quiet companionship that surrounds two people when they love each other. Kyoya's strange, but so is Chrome, really. Something is still nagging at him though.

"How does Mukuro feel about this?" All pretense is lost now, and she refuses to meet his eyes. "Does he know?" Tsuna could only imagine it was difficult to keep something like this a secret from someone that more or less lived in her head. He wouldn't have thought it possible years ago, but Chrome was a different person now and so was Mukuro for that matter.

"He wouldn't approve." she says, as if this is news to Tsuna. "He hates him."

"Last I checked that feeling was pretty mutual." She puffs her cheeks in a pout at him. He smiles wryly. It still takes a minute of talking to her for him to brush off her barriers, but he and Chrome have been close for sometime now. She never really relaxes with anyone outside of the Vongola or Mukuro's old Kokuyo gang, and even then with only a chosen few. "He'll find out eventually."

"He already knows," she says. Tsuna lifts an eyebrow as he looks at her sideways. "I mean he probably sort of knows." Chrome waves her hands as if she's trying to clear the air of the entire conversation.

"Probably sort of," he parrots. Chrome frowns at him as he gestures for the two of them to sit down on a bench. She takes a seat and he follows suit. "Chrome, he can't control you without your permission. He doesn't get a say in what makes you happy. So what are you afraid of?" She's staring at her feet, tears welling up in her lovely violet eye. They don't fall.

"It's selfish of me." He didn't expect that, but perhaps he should have. She takes a gasping breath and he can hear her trying to hold in the sobs. It still amazes him how quickly she comes undone when it come to the illusionist. Sometimes he wonders if Mukuro knows the extent of his hold over her, not through any powers or trickery, but simply through honest devotion and loyalty. He puts a hand on her knee in encouragement. Her eye flits to him for second before returning to the ground, "He saved me. I owe him my life, and I used to think I'd give it to him. Living for only his sake was my purpose. I didn't have a reason to live before then." She takes another shuddering breath as the tears start trailing down her delicate features. "He saved me. So I decided to live for him." She puts her face in her hands, "Isn't it selfish of me to want to live for myself when I owe him so much?"

"What do you think?" Years ago he would've tried to comfort her differently. He might've tried to tell her it wasn't selfish. That she deserved to live her life, that she had already done enough for Mukuro, that the man loved her and would want her to be happy. He knew now that she had to work through these things herself.

"I want to be selfish! I want to stay with Boss and Yamamoto-kun and Storm Man! I want to stay with the Vongola! I want to keep being friends with Hana and Kyoko-san and Haru-chan! I want to stay with Kyoya!" She cried openly and they were getting odd looks from passersby, but Tsuna was used to it by now. You didn't become the head of one of the oldest and most powerful mafia famiglias without meeting a lot of unique characters which meant getting more than a fair share of odd looks.

"You can be selfish." She nodded and bit her lip to try and quiet the crying. "Does Hibari feel the same way?"

Her face is red, but slowly, hesitantly, she nods. That's all he wanted to know. The thought of two of his famiglia, let alone two of his guardians, finding happiness with each other was more than he could ever have hoped for. They're an odd couple certainly, but they're part of an odd family, so really it feels natural. Eventually the crying dies down and they've returned to a comfortable silence. "Boss?"

"Hm?"

"After graduation we're going to Italy, right?" He nods his head, unsure where this is going. The preparations have all been made already. He and his guardians, namely Hayato, Takeshi, Ryohei, Chrome, and Lambo were going to Italy. They were still working on convincing Hibari.

"I only want to go if Kyoya goes." Ok so maybe not Chrome after all. Tsuna sighs and runs his hands through his hair. He scratches the back of his head as he tries to think.

"I suppose we'll just have to convince him together then." She looks at him surprised but he just grins. By now he's learned to roll with the punches. Reborn would say it was a vital lesson for a mafia boss. "I can't very well leave two of my guardians in Japan, now can I?" Chrome nods her head excitedly as the two stand again. She's family, and Tsuna's not about to go anywhere without his family. All the more so because Kyoko and Haru won't be joining them. He's not fool enough to think the girls will stay put forever, but circumstances alone would see them finishing their educations here in Japan before they could come abroad and join them in Italy. Haru might see them sooner if only for her excellent grades, but Tsuna doubted she wouldn't wait for Kyoko. He personally wasn't looking forward to the long-distance relationship. Though his famiglia would probably be keeping him too busy to miss home too much. Hopefully Italy would come to feel like home sooner rather than later. After all he didn't know when he'd be returning to Japan. If he'd be returning at all."Shall we?" He offered Chrome his arm and she giggled before looping her own around it. They were off to poke a sleeping demon with a stick then. This ought to end splendidly.

It ended much the way Tsuna had expected. With him sporting a black eye and Hibari, a cut lip. Chrome had managed to diffuse the situation before it escalated further. She seemed to have shockingly good control over the carnivore, and Tsuna would be lying if he said he weren't a tad bit impressed. She just knew the right things to say and do, not unlike how Reborn had been able to bring Hibari to heel or to goad him into battle according to the needs of the situation. She'd pointed out that if the fight truly did get more serious, they would do damage to the surrounding area, and as they were in Namimori, that wasn't something Hibari would want. The three wound up sitting for tea in a little cafe, Chrome and Hibari seated next to each other on one side of the table with Tsuna facing them. Somehow the two together felt a bit imposing as they sat, waiting for someone to speak.

"If you have something to say, say it. Don't waste my time." HIbari's voice was smooth, deep, and commanding in a way Tsuna couldn't quite evoke in his own voice yet. Perhaps it was a matter of confidence.

Tsuna squashed down the high-pitched screech that had once been his usual response to any threat of violence, meaning any interaction with Hibari. It wasn't becoming of someone of his position. "I want to talk about Italy-"

"I'm not going." Chrome winced a bit at the harshness of his tone and Tsuna sighed.

"'No' is not an option," he said in as collected and authoritative of a voice as he could muster. He knew how to deal with Hibari. The dark haired man quirked an eyebrow. "You are a member of the Vongola. You have a responsibility to go." Hibari looked like he had something to say to that, but Tsuna continued, "That's not why you're going to go to Italy with everyone, though." Chrome was watching him carefully, curiosity shining in her eye; she wanted to see where this was going. Hibari looked unconvinced, but intrigued. It was the best he was going to get from him and he knew it.

Tsuna took a slow drink from his rapidly cooling coffee. He was the only one that hadn't ordered tea. Somehow coffee was the one thing he knew he was going to enjoy in Italy. He could feel Hibari's growing irritation from across the table and set his cup down carefully before continuing to speak, "You are going to Italy because that is where the Vongola's enemies are. There are lots of people that don't approve of myself or my guardians, and you'll be the one to teach them to show our famiglia respect." It was very much true that several, mostly old and traditional famiglias were against Tsuna, someone who has never stepped foot in Italy, being the boss of the most powerful and respected famiglia of all. Even those that begrudgingly accepted Tsuna himself, found issue among at least one or more of his guardians. Outsiders, Criminals, and Bastards being the most noisy complaints, after all most of his guardians didn't have any background in the mafia, save their involvement with him. Ryohei especially seemed to be singled out for this, but it was true of Takeshi and Hibari as well. Though Tsuna knew Takeshi's father had been involved with the Yakuza at some point before he married and had suspicions when it came to Hibari's own family history, not many people knew about that, and even then the Yakuza is not the italian mafia. It likely would have made little difference had everyone known anyway. 'Criminals' was generally about Chrome or Mukuro. They were the enemies of the mafia. Mukuro himself was rather proud of that. Chrome suffered through association. Tsuna just shook his head at that one because most all mafiosos were criminals as far as Tsuna could see. The Bastard remark was clearly aimed at Hayato. It was a brand within the mafia, and not a light one. Tsuna didn't care. They would all prove them wrong together. Outsiders or Bastards or whatever else, they were Tsuna's family. They were Vongola, the rest of the world was going to have to suck it up and deal with it.

Hibari seemed to be deliberating his point. Getting to fight powerful opponents was always an enticing proposition, but Tsuna knew it likely wouldn't be enough on its own to get Hibari to leave Namimori. What more could he offer? Hibari was as steeped in japanese culture and tradition as he could be given his flights of unrestrained bloodlust, so offering literally any shred or prospect of italian culture, be it food, tradition or anything else, would not sway his opinion. What did Hibari care about? Despite the bloated rumor mill that circulated the former prefect, Tsuna knew that he did care about things and was not actually a demon sent to terrorize the people of Namimori. Hibari liked fighting, which Tsuna was already offering him, so what else? Hibird and Roll and other small animals. Chrome. She said she'd only go if Hibari agreed to go, but he didn't know that. Besides it would help to make Hibari's exact level of interest in Tsuna's mist guardian clear. He wanted to know that she meant as much to him as he obviously did to her. There couldn't be a shadow of a doubt in Tsuna's mind.

"And of course the rest of the famiglia will be in Italy," he said.

Hibari scowled at him, "If you think the presence of the rest of your herd will entice me to join this-"

"That does, naturally, include Chrome." Tsuna smirked inwardly as the snarky words left him looking stunned, eyes wide. Hibari looked stumped. Like he'd just had a rug pulled out from under him and fallen into a pit of vipers. Chrome was mutely flailing about in a panic besides him, looming torn between telling him she was only going if he did, or waiting to see Tsuna's strategy play out. He knew that Chrome might not want to know the potential results. If it weren't enough to convince him, then she'd be losing him. But Tsuna was confident he knew what he was doing. Hibari wouldn't call the bluff. More importantly, Hibari was a possessive man. He didn't like things that he felt were his being taken away by others. Chrome certainly fit into that along with Hibird, Kusakabe, and the whole town of Namimori. It boiled down to a question of priorities. How important was she to him? "Besides it's not like it'll be forever. "

The three sat silently for several minutes. Tsuna was careful not to show any nerves or uncertainty. Chrome had collected herself and sipped delicately at her tea. The only sign of any discomfort was the slightest tremor in her grip on the teacup. "Six months. Then Chrome and I both will return to Japan until necessary."

"A year. And Chrome stays however long she wishes after that."

Hibari glared at him over the brim of the teacup. He turned toward Chrome and she nodded resolutely in answer, placing her hand over his. The two of them looked back to Tsuna before Hibari said, "Fine. I don't want to interact with the rest of those herbivores on a daily basis though." It's uncanny how fluidly the two move together.

"The mansion is plenty big enough that you won't have to." Tsuna leaves out the part about him having never actually been there before. Dino assures him the estate is quite expansive.

Between the three of them they iron out any and all negotiations after another two cups and then Chrome and Hibari leave together. Tsuna orders a fourth cup for himself before letting out a heavy sigh. All in all the day had gone far better than expected. He pulled out his phone to call various people to make sure he could hold up his ends of the agreements. He swirled the dark drink in his cup. He hadn't even gotten to Italy yet and he was already addicted. Hell, he hadn't even gotten to Italy yet and he felt like he was aging twice as fast as before. At least now he'd have the whole of his guardians present. Although no plans had been made concerning the girls yet, but that wasn't something he was going to worry about now. Knowing them, they'll likely find their way out there on their own even if he didn't do a thing to help them. Kyoko and Haru were never truly far behind Tsuna and the others. He didn't know whether he should be grateful for that or afraid of it. He idly wondered if Chrome and Hibari would go sightseeing in Italy. It was supposed to be very romantic, but somehow he couldn't see it. He'd have to keep an eye out for nice spots for when Kyoko got out there. A part of him was jealous. They were going to be together in a romantic locale while his own girlfriend trudged through her general education courses on another continent. All the same, things would work themselves out eventually. They always did.

* * *

Author's Notes: Whew! Oh god. Everyone is kind of OOC, but fuck it. This whole fic is terribly self indulgent anyway. There's probably something I wanted to say here, but I don't remember and it's late, so whatever. The couple of chapter are going to move forward in the timeline again, so this is the earliest chronolgical chapter you'll be getting for a while. Enjoy! Feel free to comment! And Thanks a bunch to my whopping 3 followers on this fic!


	4. Haru 10 Years Later

10 Years Later

Haru knew immediately that she had fucked up when she opened her eyes. Once she'd woken up it had only taken a fleeting and bleary moment that could not have lasted longer than a second or two for alarms to start going off. Nothing was the way it should be. There was an awful, pounding headache filling her skull, but she knew despite her inability to think straight in that moment that this was _wrong_. There were rays of morning light slipping in through the curtains which meant she couldn't possibly be in her own room on the west side of the mansion, not to mention those lush curtains were far too nice for her own quarters. The bed was wrong, too. It was raised too far up off the ground and the bedding was soft and luxurious silks while the mattress was too soft and comfortable to be hers. Even the size of the bed was wrong. It was far larger than her full sized bed, and there was even a canopy and this was _wrong_. She sat up in a panic only to glance around the room once more and realize in utter horror that she knew where she was.

She couldn't have. She'd been awfully drunk though, and didn't Hayato just love to berate her about her 'loose' tendencies when under the influence? But no. She wouldn't have done this. Could not have done this. She knew the tug in the back of her mind that said it was what she'd always wanted, but no. Not like this. _Please_ not like this. Haru didn't have to look to know that she was naked, the gentle shift of the sheets against her skin told her that. And she had woken up enough now to recognize the heat of another body next to her. She tried to breathe. Kyoko. Oh god, what would would Kyoko think of her? And Tsuna? What would he say? How would he look at her now? The body next to her moved and her eyes were drawn to them against her better judgement. Soft brown hair fell over his face as he blinked away the grogginess, a silly, satisfied smile on his lips. His eyes reflected the early morning light, and Haru could have sworn there were fires raging behind them.

"Mornin'," he slurred, reaching a hand out to trail up and down her arm. She tried not to lean into the touch. She shouldn't be enjoying this, not when it was a betrayal on every level. She opened her mouth for a moment before snapping it shut again. There were no words. How was he so calm? How was he not flying into a panic? How did he not seem to understand that this was a mistake? His mistake. Oh, how she'd alway wanted and wished for this. After Tsuna and Kyoko had started dating back in their school days, she had vowed to be their loyal friend. She loved them both so dearly, so it was only natural for her to support them. They made each other happy, and she'd thought that would make her happy, too, but it hadn't. It had only made her miserable. After high school, while her and Kyoko and Hana were in college, with everyone else they truly cared about a seeming world away, she had drowned herself in that misery. It had been bitter and burned its way down her throat, but it had made her forget that while the other two girls were pining for their loves that were out of reach, she alone got to enjoy the whims and woes of college. She alone was the only one that got to surround herself with men, and didn't they ever line up for her? The three girls were all beautiful, but Kyoko and Hana were taken, so Haru was left to collect the broken hearts. She seemed to fix all of them save her own. She was still alone in every way that mattered. She'd get drunk and fall into bed with whichever handsome face struck her fancy and she'd pretend they were him. That, even if it were only for a night, he'd chosen her. It had been her secret fantasy. A go-to remedy to make her feel better so that she could keep being the chipper pillar of support everyone needed her to be. Sometimes she wondered if anything would change even if she did let herself crumble.

Tsuna loved Kyoko. Had always loved her, and always would love her. Haru knew that. Everyone knew that. He would never betray her, but he just had. With Haru. She felt her eyes sting with hot tears. Once they'd finished their general education courses, the three girls had flown out to Italy for the summer. Haru had felt alive again with Tsuna and his family. She'd missed him. She'd missed Chrome and Lambo and Takeshi and Hayato and everyone else, too. It had felt like coming home to be with all of them again, even if it was in a strange place where she couldn't speak the language. When summer ended Hana flew back to Japan, as she'd planned. Her and Ryohei didn't seem to be bothered by their long distance relationship. Haru had enrolled in an Italian university and was ready to learn and to be of use to her family anyway she could. She'd thought Kyoko was ready, too. But when summer ended, Haru watched Tsuna put her on a plane to America and come back to the mansion just to lock himself in his room for several long days. Haru had felt a righteous fury with her best friend then, but it wasn't her place. Tsuna came out of his room and resumed his duties to the famiglia, seemingly more motivated by her departure than anything else. Haru knew better. He was throwing himself into his work to distract from the heartache. She'd done it enough to know.

When she asked Kyoko why, she'd said she wanted to be free to enjoy her youth. "You don't get it! You got to party and sleep around and have fun while we were in Japan! But I had Tsuna; I always had Tsuna. So I didn't get to do that." Haru wouldn't have done any of that, would never have even wanted to do any of that, if she had Tsuna. "I just- before I settle down and get married and everything, I want to have fun, y'know? Like you did. So we're taking a break is all. When I'm done in America, I'll come back here, and Tsuna and I can get married, but first I want to experiment. See what the world has to offer me? Tsuna can see people, too, I don't mind. I've only ever been with Tsuna, and he's only ever been with me. We should both get out there a little more before we settle down for the rest of our lives, don't you think?" Objectively, Haru understood where she was coming from. Most people did not marry the first person they ever dated. Most people got to learn and love through trial and error before they found the right one. Subjectively Haru couldn't understand what Kyoko thought the world could offer that Tsuna did not already provide. He wasn't perfect, no, but he was wonderful. Tsuna was kind and strong, long-suffering and slow to anger. He loved his famiglia as if they were blood, even Haru, who had so little to offer. He protected them and inspired them. He was everything. Worst of all was that she understood Tsuna well enough to know that he wouldn't feel the same about this separation. He'd just gotten her back for a single season, after several years of trying desperately to make it work long-distance while still managing the Vongola. And now she was leaving again. This time, without the promise of fidelity or devotion. And Haru suspected that Kyoko knew as well as she did that Tsuna would wait for her regardless. The mafia kept him far too busy for him to try meeting someone new, and he wasn't the type to sleep with a stranger. No, he would wait for as long as she wanted. She could make him wait until they were gray in the hair and he'd do so happily. Such was his devotion to her.

Haru bitterly thinks that a stranger would have been better. The tears fell, making dark droplets on the fine sheets and Haru was certain they were mocking her. All at once Tsuna was sitting up, cupping her face in his hands as he swiped away the spiteful tears with his thumbs. His eyebrows knit together in confusion, worry, and just a hint of panic. Poor, sweet Tsuna. She didn't deserve even this small kindness from him. Not anymore. "Haru! Haru, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He pauses and bites at the bottom of his lip. "I'm sorry." Tsuna takes his hands away and moves further from her, and she has to bite her own lip to keep from calling him back. "I-I'm sorry. If you- If you didn't want this. I just thought-" Oh god, no.

"No! No, Tsuna-san! It's not that! I promise, it's not that." She can't keep the frantic, almost desperate tone out of her voice. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I- I knew you were lonely, I took advantage, even though you have Kyoko."

He laughs then. Actually laughs and she thinks she might sincerely want to hit him upside the head with one of his ridiculously fancy pillows. "I don't _have_ Kyoko. She broke up with me," he says, a sadness flickering across his features. His eyes flit back to her and the sadness melts away. "Haru, if that's what you're upset about then you don't have to be."

"She didn't break up with you! You're just taking a break," it sounds silly even to herself, but she knows it's wrong. "It's different," she mumbles, twirling the sheets in her hands.

Tsuna crawls back over to her from where he'd stranded himself on the edge of the bed. Haru can't help but admire his muscled torso, visible now that he's not dragging the sheets with him as he moves. "It's the same. She left me, Haru. She's in America, dating whoever she wants. I'm allowed to do the same." He puts his hand over hers, stilling her fidgeting.

"It's not the same! It _is_ different! And-and even if it weren't, you can't with me! I'm her best friend!" She was crying again and Tsuna wrapped his arms around her while he pulled her into his chest. She shook in his arms, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Haru?" he asks after her sobs have gone quiet. She makes a noise in response and Tsuna continues, "Haru, this wasn't a mistake. Being with you wasn't a mistake. I didn't get into bed with you by accident; I chose to. I chose you." It was all she'd ever wanted him to say, her dream come true, but then she thought of Kyoko and wanted to cry all over again. He didn't get it. "Haru, say something." She made a noncommittal sound and he pulled away to look her in the face. "Actual words, Haru, don't act like a child."

She pouted, "I am not acting like a child."

"Then look at me, and tell me you didn't want this." She did not. "Haru, I know you. Don't feel guilty about this. Neither of us has done anything wrong." But they had. "I didn't get drunk and sleep with you on a whim, Haru. I care about you. And I've been thinking about this for a while." No, no, _no_. He touched her cheek and brought her face to face with himself. "Haru, if you don't want this, if you honestly don't want me, just say the word. We can put this all behind us. I just want you to be happy." It's his negotiating voice, the one he uses when he's trying to keep a poker face on. He's unreadable. He's unreadable as he gives her an out. She takes it.

Tears fall again and she makes no move to stop them, "I don't want this." She grabs the first thing she lays a hand on and bolts out of the room. Haru tells herself that she only imagined the hurt flashing across his face when she ran.

The fabric she grabbed turns out to be Tsuna's boxers and she haphazardly pulls them on while she all but sprints through the halls. It's still early, so she might not run into anyone, but- CRASH.

"Watch where you're going! What kind of an idiot runs through the halls-" his words die in his throat as silver eyes register her form sprawled out on the ground in front of him. Haru's heart plummets. Why? Why _him_? Hadn't the world punished her enough? She knew the answer was no. "Haru? What are you?" His eyes are calculating and she knows he's putting the puzzle pieces together faster than she'd like. Haru scrambles to her feet and covers her bare chest before she runs from him, too. He calls after her, but she ignores him. He doesn't chase her, and she's grateful. By the time she reaches her rooms she's gasping for air. She throws herself on her bed and tries to catch her breath to little success. Everytime she gets more air in it just escapes as a pitiful moan. She wraps her own sheets around herself and upon noting their coarser fabric, she relaxes just a bit. This is her bed. There's no sun filtering in through her simple curtains. This is where she belongs. By herself. Haru cries herself to sleep.

By the time she wakes up again it's already evening. She grimaces as she registers how sore her body is. She strips off the boxers, only pausing momentarily as she realized she had never taken them off. She tosses them into the laundry basket in the corner. She'll deal with those later. In the meantime she just climbs into the shower with the heat on as high as she could bare. She exhales slowly once the bathroom steams up, only then beginning the impossible task of trying to wash the filth of what she's done down the drain. Her skin is red and raw by the time she deems herself clean. She knows she isn't. Not really. Haru turns off the water and tosses her long hair up in a makeshift bun before wrapping a towel snuggly around herself. She walks out of the bathroom without looking in the mirror. She can't face herself yet. She knows she'll have to eventually. But not yet. Not yet.

Immediately following the click of the bathroom door closing behind her she seriously starts to debate whether or not she should turn right back around into the bathroom and lock the door behind her. Hayato's eyebrow twitches as if he can read her mind, a scowl firmly in place on his handsome face. It just had to be him.

"Get out." Her voice comes out raspy and not at all demanding.

"No." Comparatively his voice crackles with power. After she found out about Hayato's upbringing she always thought it a shame he was born a bastard. He would have made an excellent boss. He was equal parts dangerous, intelligent, and commanding. The thought sends a thrill up her spine and she shakes it off before huffing and marching past him to drop onto her bed.

He breathes out a heavy sigh and she can almost feel the exasperation radiating off of him in waves. "What do you want?"

"Eat." She raises her head to eye him and realizes there's a little folding table next to her bed with food on it. As if he senses the question, he answers, "You haven't eaten all day, right?"

Haru gives a small nod before reaching for the plate. It's all fruit slices and toast with a few strips of slightly burnt bacon. Her stomach growls and she becomes hyperaware of how empty her stomach feels. Haru digs in.

After she's gotten through about half the plate and started slowing down Hayato speaks again, "You know you're an idiot, right?" Ordinarily she'd scoff and argue with him, but her mouth is full so she settles for rolling her eyes. "You shouldn't run around the halls half naked." She chokes on an orange slice and glares at him.

"What do you want, Hayato?" She doesn't use his first name often, despite the fact that he pretty much always uses hers. It feels personal in a way she doesn't like. Sounds too intimate rolling off her tongue. Nevermind they've known each other for over a decade. Nevermind that they are technically friends. He's never felt like a friend. The word doesn't sit right between them and neither really knows why. So they say they're friends and keep each other at arm's length when they both know they should be closer. Maybe it's because they understand each other a bit too much. They can't hide their ugly truths because they're reflections of one another. They both hate what they see.

"I want you to fucking talk to me." She chews her toast as defiantly as she can as the silence stretches. He sits down on the bed and steals a discarded crust from her plate. "I tried to talk to Tsuna, but he doesn't want to talk about it."

"I don't either."

"The difference is I don't care. Talk to me."

When Haru continues to just chew her food he takes the plate away. Haru turns to glare at him but he's already there, glaring back at her. Conceding defeat she flops backward on the bed, idle strands slipping from her bun and soaking her sheets. Hayato puts the plate back on the table a bit more forcefully than needed judging by the shattering sound and the drawn out groan that follows. She can see him running his hands over his face from the corner of her eye. "Dumbass."

"You hurt his feelings. He's gonna be mopey for days. Which means nobody's going to get _any_ work done for _days_." she rolls her eyes again.

"I fucked up," she confesses. The admission hangs in the air for a moment before he deigns to respond.

"No shit." She hates him sometimes. Somehow the way he's handling all of this, not hedging around the issue at all, is exactly what she wants. He's always been brutal and honest. She needs that right now. Maybe that's why she hates him sometime. She hates him for being exactly what she needs.

"I'm sorry." There are tears in her eyes, but she doesn't put much effort toward holding them in. Hayato's seen her cry a dozen times before. It's always embarrassing and awful, then he makes fun of her and drags her through the mud while holding her or comforting her somehow. His words never seem to match his actions. She always feels better afterward though.

"What for?"

That catches her off guard and all she can manage in response is a stupid, "Huh?"

"For sleeping with him or for running off this morning?" Her heart breaks a little more. Hayato's voice sounds hoarse, raw, just how how she feels.

"Thought you said he didn't tell you anything." Haru knows she's being petty, picking apart his words. But there's a small twinge of irritation at his remark.

Hayato lays down on the bed next to her, both of them staring up at the ceiling. "He didn't need to. It wasn't hard to figure it out." Of course he knew what was going on, but he could try to be gentlemanly about it.

She sighed, "I'm just sorry.

"It's okay." Somehow, coming from Hayato, it sounds true. She knows it's not, but just for a little while, just so she can breathe, she lets herself believe him. It frightens her how easy that is. She rolls onto her side towards him, curling in on herself and he reaches over with one arm to hold her hand while she cries. They don't look at each other. Neither of them is ready to face their reflection. Not yet.

* * *

Author's Notes: I'm dead. Deceased. This is being posted from the afterlife. I'm in the middle of moving because I got a new job and have to move to another state so yeah. My life is just a mess and I'm really not coping. This is kind of angsty and I actually wanted to post this part of the story further along but I wanted to write it now so here it is. I'm a big fan of Haru in general. I find her a very compelling character. She and Gokudera have so much in common and I really feel like that's why they don't get along half the time. They both deserve the world. If it isn't totally clear this 10YL chapter is very much where the story becomes it's own and diverges from canon events. This actually takes place after they all would have traveled 10YL in the future, thus confirming that they exist in an alternate timeline from the one they traveled to. I did also get to work on my BNHA fic today so that should be updated in a matter of a couple of days. Hopefully. Movin Day is less than two weeks away for me and my car battery died so I'm just a WEE bit stressed out but I'll see if I can't update asap. The next couple chapters are all half-written, it's just the rest of The Bakugou chapter that I'm stumped with.

As usual, please comment and let me know what you like or what you would like to see happen!


	5. Hayato 15 Years Later

15 years later

Once Takeshi's wounds were cleaned and treated, and the man had cried himself out against Hayato's shirt, Hayato returned to his bedroom to collapse onto his bed. Seeing Takeshi fall apart like that had taken so much out of him. He couldn't begin to comprehend how much pain his friend was in. All the same, exhaustion caught up to him and dragged him under into unconsciousness. When he awoke later that night he was greeted with a very much still empty bed. He pulled on a new shirt, but didn't bother to pull himself together further. Hayato wandered down to the kitchen where Haru was rifling about in the fridge. "Looking for anything specific?"

She barely reacted to his question, simply hummed to say she'd heard him. He walked over and shouldered past her to grab a jar of jam.

"Stop that! You can't just eat spoonfuls of jam! Put it on something," she said in a huff. It didn't have the bite it usually would, but Haru's tired and she can't bring herself to put the proper amount of venom into her words. Hayato just smirked and scooped a large glob out to eat.

"How's the kid?"

"He has a name, y'know?" Haru sighed heavily, closing the fridge and grabbing another spoon from the drawer. "Let me have some of that, would you?" He complied, holding the jar out for her to take a scoop from after she hoisted herself onto the counter next to him. "Dead tired. I know he woke up a few hours ago, but he fell asleep again before I got to talk to him. Poor thing, he must be traumatized."

"That's an understatement. How do you know he woke up?"

"His pillow was wet. I think he must have been crying." Hayato thought about how he would feel, coming home to ashes, a dead wife, and a terrified son. He stopped thinking about it very quickly. Instead he watched Haru, her eyes wide and full of worry with tiredness evident in every feature. She looked away first, snatching the jar from him for herself. "How's Takeshi?"

He grimaced. His friend had been severely injured, out of his own desperation to reach his family. He was concerned about the physical injuries, but what worried him most was Takeshi's state of mind. He was broken. "He's not great." Haru made a derogatory sound at that and his lips tugged into a smile despite everything. "He will be, though. We'll make sure they both get through this." Haru smiled and draped herself over his shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. He easily moved to accommodate her. He turned his head to kiss her while his thumb traced the line of her jaw.

After their lips parted he pecked her cheek before drawing away from her. "I want to check the kid over for injuries. He looked pretty frazzled, so I just want to make sure he's not too worse for wear."

"Let him sleep," she murmured, clinging stubbornly to his shoulder.

"He's been sleeping all day. Besides, I want to be able to tell Takeshi his kid's alright when he wakes up." He placed a hand over hers to pull it off of his shirt. Haru's face was scrunched up, frowning, but she relinquished her hold on him regardless.

"I'm coming along. Your bedside manner sucks." Haru told himm. He chuckled and grabbed her waist, lifting her up off the counter and setting her down on the ground to stand in front of him before leaning down to kiss her again.

"Fair enough." They've been so preoccupied with the attacks on the Vongola paired with the birth of their son, there hasn't been time for them to just be. Haru lead the way up to the room she put Daichi in, and he followed close behind. His mind was clouding over again, but he desperately did not want to sleep. They reached the room, tucked away in the corner of their lavish home and Haru opened the door slowly, trying to avoid the creak of the hinges.

"Daichi-kun? Are you awake?" Her voice was light and fluttery, careful. Honestly he wished she would stop treating children like they were made of glass. She always had, even with Ipin and Lambo despite their being trained assassins. The blankets move about the bed ambiguously and Haru went to sit down on the edge of the mattress. Once she did he walked in and closed the door gently behind him. The blankets moved again, hanging like a tent from where Daichi had sat up next to Haru. "Could you come out of there?" Hayato wants to check you over and make sure you aren't hurting anywhere."

There was a pause before Daichi started pulling the blankets off of his head, though he then wrapped them around his body protectively.

He looked awful. His eyes were red and swollen. His hair was messy and covered in soot. There was a bruise along his cheekbone that had already darkened to a purple and green mess accompanied by a split lip. And that was just what Hayato could actually see. "Do you mind coming out of the blankets all the way?" Haru shot him a look, but honestly he wasn't trying to sound condescending or sarcastic, it just always came out that way. Daichi gave him a jerky nod and reluctantly discarded the blankets. Hayato strode to the edge of the bed and knelt down in front of him. There were small scrapes and bruises on his arms and legs, "Can you hold your hands out for me? Palms up." Daichi obeyed wordlessly and Haru made a piteous sound in her throat. Daichi's hands were a mess. Defensive wounds was the easy deduction when it came to most of his injuries, but he hadn't thought Daichi had faced any of the attackers? "Mind telling me how you got hurt?"

Daichi was still scared, taking quick little breaths to calm himself. He looked away and bit his lip, pulling his injured hands from Hayato's and twiddling his fingers. Hayato decided to focus on the physical hurts first. None of the injuries he could see were terribly serious, but they had to hurt, so he'd start there. He wanted to run the boy through the wash, too. He was covered head to toe in dirt and ash and Hayato wanted to make sure nothing became infected.

"We're gonna run a bath for you, and then I'm gonna treat your wounds, alright? Mind coming into the bathroom with me?" Daichi nodded and followed him to the bathroom.

Haru lingered behind them, her face serious. "Tell me I can help."

He nodded to her. "Go bring me the first aid kit and some clean towels and bandages. Anything you can find for pain, too."

She spun on her heel and was out the bedroom door in seconds. Hayato turned to the tub and started filling it with warm water.

"Is my dad here?" He pivoted back around to face Daichi, smiling.

"Yeah. He's resting right now but you can go see him later if you want. Only after I get you taken care of, alright?" Daichi brightened a bit at that. "You do have to tell me how you got hurt though. I want to help." He'd never been good at consoling others. Consolation took patience, kindness, and genuine warmth. Hayato didn't do those things well. Tsuna and Takeshi were always best at it, but Takeshi was broken and hurting and Tsuna wasn't here, so he had to try.

Shockingly Daichi answered him, "The bad men. They tried to hit me, but Mom stopped them. They were trying to take me away," his voice cracked and his shoulders shook as he tried to explain.

Hayato put his hand on Daichi's shoulder, "It's okay. You're safe now."

"It isn't! Mom's dead! She tried to fight them, but-" he started sobbing then. His voice whined and his whole body shuddered, "They killed her. I tried- tried to st-stop them, but they-" Daichi inhaled sharply trying to catch his breath. Hayato felt himself tense all over. "She told me to hide but they followed me and- I didn't mean to! I wasn't trying to hurt anybody!"

Panic sweeps through Hayato.. "Who didn't you mean to hurt?" He tried to keep his voice calm and even. Obviously Daichi had more contact with the Sartori men then they thought.

"The tall man. He grabbed me- I-I was so scared, but he wouldn't let go! I was just trying to hide. Mom said everything would be okay of I hid."

"What happened to the tall man?" Hayato didn't like where this was going. Takeshi had always tried so hard to keep Daichi away from the mafia, to let Daichi grow up normally. He didn't want the crime and filth of their lives to touch his son.

"I didn't mean to. It just sort of happened. I just wanted him to let go. I thought if I could get him to let go I could go hide, so I tried to get the gun, but- I just- It was an accident! Don't tell Dad, please!"

He moved to pull Daichi onto his lap, "Sssshhh. It's okay. You were protecting yourself."

"He's dead, how can that be okay?" Daichi burrowed his face into his chest, tears seeping through the cotton shirt.

"Because you lived." The boy shivered violently against him and Hayato wrapped his arms around him more tightly. It wasn't okay. Of course it wasn't, but what mattered was that he survived.

Several more minutes passed in relative silence before a gentle wrap on the door beckoned their attention, "You two okay in there?" Haru nudged the door open to peer in at them.

"Took you long enough." Daichi was still bundled in a ball in his lap, Hayato lightly petting his head.

"I couldn't find your stupid bandages." She snapped indignantly.

"They were right next to the first aid kit." He deadpanned straight back.

"I didn't know that though! I was looking all over for them!"

He shook his head and waved her into the bathroom. "Help me with him."

She put the supplies down and hurried over to lift Daichi from his lap so that Hayato could get everything ready.

"Was he crying again?" she asked, wiping tears from his face as Daichi sniffled lightly in her arms, rubbing at his face with his fists.

"Yeah." Hayato turned the faucet off and motioned for Haru to come closer, "But he's a strong kid, right?"

"Yeah!" His voice was quiet, but determined and it put both adults at ease.

Haru and him got Daichi clean and Hayato bandaged up his injuries. Daichi was yawning by the end of it all, and Haru was ready to tuck him back into bed until his stomach growled loudly.

"Hungry?" Haru smiled at him, clearly amused at the embarrassed flush on the child's face. He looked so cute wearing one of Hayato's old tee shirts. They would have to run out to buy him some clothes later as he didn't have any with him. He nodded, staring at his feet.

"I got him, you go to sleep." Hayato said, stooping to lift the boy into his arms. Haru opened her mouth in protest, "Come on, you've been up all day, I know you're exhausted. Besides you can check on Nico on your way to bed."

"Fine." She acquiesced. Haru leaned over to kiss him lightly before yawning as she strolled away from the two.

"What're you in the mood for?" he asked the dazed child in his arms.

"Pizza."

Hayato chortled before pausing to think. They had some leftover pizza in the fridge. Probably. Him and Haru had been living on takeout and leftovers for the past few weeks since they got back from the hospital with Nico.

"Let's see if we can't find some pizza then."

There was only one piece left, but that worked fine. He heated it up for Daichi and tapped his fingers absently on the table as the boy took small bites and chewed thoughtfully.

"What's'at?" Daichi's voice is quiet, barely more than a whisper.

"Hm?" Hayato blinked owlishly at him before realizing he'd been tapping out a song on a phantom piano. "Nothin' special," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head and dipping his head down a bit. He sat on his hands.

Daichi watched the display with wide, curious eyes that feel like they saw clear through him before he turned his attention back to his food. Hayato let out a slow breath. Daichi was very much like his mother. Those discerning eyes and a knack for separating fact from fiction would be assets to the Vongola. He caught the traitorous thought and mentally chided himself for it. Takeshi didn't want his son anywhere near the mafia. But it was too late for that, wasn't it? Would Takeshi feel differently after all that happened? Would he let Daichi meet Nagisa and the rest of the famiglia? Pondering over it would provide no answers. Hayato tried to ignore his conniving thoughts and focus on the present. They were at war now, no question. Tsuna would need him. Him and Takeshi. That meant he had to patch the other man together enough to do battle in every sense of the word. They were Tsuna's guardians and it was their duty to protect and defend the famiglia.

* * *

Author's Notes: Some GokuHaru fluff as they deal with the aftermath from chapter two. I really love writing these two, but I'm wondering who else I should shed some light on? We'll see I guess. I should have the next chapter for BFF&I out by the end of the week. Happy Holidays!

As usual feel free to favorite, follow, review, or message me.


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